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5
Mastering the Art of Soldering
temperature that is either too high for lead solder or too low for lead free solder. Whereas,
with the adjustable soldering iron, you can always set the optimal temperature based on the
solder alloy composition that you use.
Moreover, having an adjustable temperature soldering iron comes in handy when
desoldering because you usually need a higher temperature to be able to remove the parts
easily from the board.
Adjustable Temperature Soldering Iron
It is also important that you select the right soldering iron tip for the job. Use a fine and sharp
tip for surface mount devices and a wide tip for desoldering.
If you want your soldering iron tips to last for a long time, you need to take care of them.
After you finish using the soldering iron, you should add some solder to the soldering iron tip
so that it remains covered in solder when not in use. This will protect the soldering iron tip
and will prevent it from oxidizing, so it will be working properly every time you want to use it.
While working with the soldering iron, you should always take the necessary safety
precautions presented in the former chapter.
3.3. The Solder
The solder wire is the metal alloy that is used for soldering the parts and wires together. It is
usually made from a material that has a low melting point and flows nicely on other metals.
The solder that comes with this kit is without the toxic lead for distribution in EU while those
sold in US is the tin wire solder tube with lead. EU commercially requires that on hand
electronics use lead-free solder (RoHS) due to the health risks involved. It is extra popular
these days for environmental and health reasons. The solder may come in a spool or
sometimes enclosed in a tube, called solder wire tube.
